The Virginia Senate has voted for a transportation-funding bill that increases the gas tax, removes most of Governor McDonnell’s proposals, and allows Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to raise extra revenue.  

On the heels of Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed film about Lincoln comes another movie about the nation’s 16th president - this one airing on the National Geographic Channel February 17th. 

For many, Valentine’s Day is a time to remember a loved one with a special gift. 

This year a Roanoke firefighter decided to surprise his fiancée a little early with a song. 

While the Newtown, Connecticut shooting has gotten the most media attention of late, last night at the State of the Union address two Virginia lawmakers honored the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.

Peter Read of Annandale, Virginia lost his daughter Mary in the Virginia Tech shooting. He says he was honored to be the guest of Congressman Gerry Connolly at the State of the Union address.

“It’s hugely meaningful to me and obviously for my daughter Mary and for the other Hokie families.”  

Democrats in the region like the jobs plan President Obama laid out last evening in his State of the Union address. But Republicans are wary of its price tag.

The president is calling for a lot of investments that could affect Virginia, including transportation, first responders and the state's growing high tech industry. Virginia Democrat Bobby Scott says it’s a plan that will put the economy back on track because it isn’t focused solely on cutting the federal budget like the scheduled sequestration would do.

Governor McDonnell took part in a news conference this week – welcoming representatives of the pharmaceutical industry to Richmond, and singing the praises of clinical trials in the Commonwealth.  That might seem like a noble thing, but it could also have been part of a push to improve the industry’s image as it protects future profits through new state laws.

Legislation to change the process for evaluating public school teachers has cleared the Virginia Senate and is now on its way to the Governor. 

The bill is a compromise negotiated among major stakeholders, including the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, and the McDonnell administration.  But as that didn’t stop a senator from unsuccessfully proposing a few last-minute amendments.  

A pair of Virginia lawmakers were surprised this past week, one when a stranger was introduced as his mother in the state Senate chamber and another when a picture of a traffic stop was posted - temporarily - on Twitter.

Those were among the week’s most- read stories at VaNews, the Virginia Public Access Project’s daily compilation of newspaper articles about government and politics in Virginia at vpap.org. Fred Echols reports.

VaNews is a free public service of the Virginia Public Access Project and can be found at vpap.org.

Everyone is wondering where the good jobs of the future will come from.  A professor in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment predicts they’ll be hiring in his field.